Pole position

18 November 2009

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The lure of fast cars, roaring engines and the glamour of the motor racing industry is taking Monash engineering students out of the classroom and on to the track.

The 10 Monash Motorsport students are devoted to their project.

This year's entrants in the international design and racing competition Formula - Society of Automotive Engineers (F-SAE), sacrifice their social lives in favour of long days and nights at a mechanic's garage, or at the track testing the result of their work.

"We love learning how to make the best racing car and then competing against other students. We love the team work and the friendships that come with an experience like this," third-year student and 2009 project manager Rachel Mace said.

Just like real-world car racing, the team has a budget that F-SAE has set to $25,000 with which to build the car. Students raise funds to pay for the project.

"We're lucky that Monash supports us and a lot of business operators see that we're putting in the hard yards as well. A lot of time goes into this project, but the benefits are enormous," Ms Mace said.

Students will compete for the Australasian title at the end of each year. The team will also take the car to Germany in August 2010 to compete against European university teams. This means it will be even more work — up to 50 hours extra a week — to get the car up to scratch. Exam and study commitments must also be met.

The opportunity to gain skills in fabrication and machining is invaluable for the students, as they will take what they have learnt into the workforce after graduation, giving them an edge over other graduates.

Monash Motorsport is ranked among the top of more than 500 entrants worldwide, and took out fourth place in the world championships in 2008.